Additional Information
Performances are from 15 to 24 April, Wednesday to Saturday, with a matinee performance on 18 April.
Waiting For God is a character based comedy by Michael Aitkens, the writer of the very successful English TV series which ran from 1990 to 1994. It features the same core cast, plus additional characters. One critic commented sagely that while the play is set in a retirement village, the theme really is “where there’s life, there’s hope.”
The play is very contemporary, has great comedic lines, and a soft centre which will prove irresistible to audiences.
The plot chiefly follows Diana, a long-time resident of Bayview Retirement Home, who, in her working life was a war-zone photographer. Kicking back against the crushing boredom of the regimentation and exploitation of Bayview and its management, her utterances blister paint, she’s funny and grubby and irreverent, and her chief target is the materialistic manager, Harvey with whom she is scabrous and merciless. She finds an ally in Tom, a new arrival at Bayview, and the two of them blaze a trail of geriatric mayhem, which features a baby, and escapade in a Porsche, a suspected heart attack, a physical assault on Harvey, a boozy coupling and concludes with two weddings and a funeral. All of which are salutary and hilarious.
MAJOR ROLE DESCRIPTIONS
Diana: This is the largest part in the play so will need a major commitment from the chosen actress, as Diana appears in 18 of the 19 scenes that make up the play, and will be required for every rehearsal. Diana has an exterior so hard to crack she thinks she's bulletproof, but there is more to her than that, up to a point. She's liberal, fun loving, anarchic, she guns for the pompous and inept. Complains about life, but isn't overly chuffed about the alternative. Adventurous and fun to be with.
Tom: Tom misses his wife who died 15 years ago. He has his own way of coping with the slings and arrows, which is to retreat from them by taking himself off on imaginary journeys. Acts the goat, jokes a lot, is a caring, tender man at heart. Thoughtful, reflective, funny, intelligent.
Jane: Manages to combine openness with a fair amount of ignorance. Stickler for rules, is fussy and fusses. Works hard at being pleasant. Not overly astute, evidenced by her unrequited love for Harvey.
Harvey: Anal, sober, vain, social climbing, rigid, enforcer of the Bayview line. Natty dresser, soulless, unempathetic, obsessed with career, wealth and what people who matter might think of him. Enjoys his puppy dog, Jane, trotting along behind him , and the power of his position. Is fair game for Diana and Tom who wreak merciless havoc upon him.
Sarah: Urbane, rich, successful banker boasting a Porsche and a luxury flat on the Thames. Despite these trappings is a pleasant girl, fond of her aunt Diana, and committed to the notion of family. She is not put off by Diana's cynicism. but has her vulnerabilities. Attractive, witty woman.
Geoffrey: Tom's dour, humourless, stoic, son, slow to catch on. Single-minded and loyal, he struggles to cope with his promiscuous wife and is doomed to be stuck with her. Takes refuge in visiting his batty father, and is a natural target for Diana.
